Herbert, my father, was born in Britain but went out to Africa in his teens to join his father and built up an 18,000-acre ranch in what was then Northern Rhodesia, providing work for the locals. He was my hero when I was a boy.

I read a lot of biographies and books with an African background.

I write my books in my head, and not in a specific study with a view. The view is from my inner eyes.

I grew up in Rhodesia on my father's ranch and every year he used to take us on safari in some remote area of the wilderness.

I am a closet birdwatcher. I can identify Southern African species, but it irks me I can barely tell a jay from a blackbird in the U.K.

My first novel was rejected by some of the most eminent publishers in the world. Starting again was a real wrench.

People don't really know themselves until they're 30. Like most people nowadays, I went to university, got a degree and wandered for a bit. I trained to be a chartered accountant, which I didn't much enjoy, and it was only slowly that the idea of becoming a creative writer gelled.